The Church of Iheim
The Church of Iheim are those who follow the Ascended One, also known as Iheim to those who knew him in his mortal life. The Church numbers in the hundreds of thousands and is led by a group of "Prophets". The religion is centered in the Holy City of Al'Rahim in Central Pan-Africa, it is said to be the place that Iheim fell from the Heavens after his fight with Death from which he gained his divinity. Organization and Rituals The Church of Iheim is organized with a group of thirteen Prophets that lead the religion and who's declarations on the religion is infallible. They mostly stay out of the day to day operations of the religion, but they do deal with heresy and attacks made on the religion when they are made. With The Church being one of the fastest growing religions, especially in Africa, the Prophets are mostly using their time to stabilize the religion and keep the hundreds of cults under control. An average Iheimian ceremony will start with the members of at the ceremony washing their hands and forearms up to the elbows, a practice most likely borrowed from the Islamic faithful. Afterwards, the priest will recite the Ascension Story, the key story of the religion, and then the Reconquering Story, the story of Iheim's storming the Heavens again and claiming his crown as an ascended god. After each story, the priest will give a speech on how we can learn a lesson from the stories that were just recited and give a lecture on the teachings of the Church that have been revealed to them by the Ascended One when he revealed himself to them. The entire ceremony can take about an hour to an hour and a half the the Church dictates that most should try to attend the ceremonies at least three times a month, though most of the Crusaders will attend ceremonies every week if possible. Branches of the Church of Iheim In the Church of Iheim there exist a multitude of different "Branches" or arms of the official Church. For one, the military branch is known as the Ascended Crusaders of the Most Holy Church of Iheim, though they are more commonly known as just Crusaders. Other branches exist, such as the Grand Exorcists and Protectors of Humanity, more commonly known as Exorcists who deal with all non-human entities, and the Order of Heresy and Blasphemy, who deal with heretics and blasphemers among the ranks of the Church. (These Orders and Branches will have their own page at one point) Dieties and Gods The Church believes that there are many gods that they do not know about, but they believe that it is Iheim who will perservere and defeat them, however, there are a few dieties and divine beings that they believe in and understand, such as Jack the Deciever, the one who originally tricked Iheim into battling Death, though he is viewed as both a negative and a positive figure seeing as he led to the creation of the Church, but still deceives and tricks Iheim and his chosen on Earth.